Stage names:

Seki Sanjûrô V
Seki Hanasuke II [1]

Real name: Seki Tominari

Guild: Owariya

Line number: GODAIME (V)

Poetry name: Kazan

Existence: 1879 ~ 25 February 1931

Connection:

Father: Seki Sanjûrô IV

Adopted son: Seki Sanjûrô VI

Disciples: Seki Hananosuke, Owariya Umenosuke, Seki Matsuzô

Career:

1879: born in Tôkyô in the district of Hongô Haruki-chô.

May 1885: first stage appearance, at the Ichimuraza, where he received the name of Seki Hanasuke II ^[1] and played the role of Chiyomatsu in the drama "Onabake Inari Tsuki no Oboroyo".

10 July 1889: his father Seki Sanjûrô IV died.

February 1900: Hanasuke played at the Engiza (Tôkyô) the role of Genjirô in the drama "Tengajaya"; his stage partners were Nakamura Shikaku I (Iori), Sawamura Tosshi VII (Motoemon and Kôemon) and Ichikawa Danzô VII (Tôma Saburôemon).

March 1903: Hanasuke played at the Misonoza (Nagoya) the role of Iwanaga Saemon in the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki"; the roles of Shigetada and Akoya were played by Sawamura Tosshi VII and Sawamura Sônosuke I.

March 1907: Seki Hanasuke II took the name of Seki Sanjûrô V at the Meijiza, playing the role of the ground spider in the drama "Kumo no Ito".

April 1908: Sanjûrô played at the Engiza the role of Saitô Bettô Sanemori in the drama "Sanemori Monogatari".

1909: Sanjûrô purchased the Kokkaza, a koshibai venue, and renamed it later on from Kokkaza to Hôraiza. He was both the zamoto and the zagashira of this theater.

June 1911: Sanjûrô played at the Hôraiza the role of Danshichi Kurobê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the roles of Issun Tokubê and Tsurigane Sabu were played by Sawamura Denjirô and Nakamura Baijaku I.

25 February 1931: Sanjûrô died in Tôkyô.

Comments:

Seki Sanjûrô V was a tachiyaku actor, who spent the best years of his career in Tôkyô koshibai, performing in venues like the Asakusaza (which became the Hôraiza when he managed it for a few years in the 1910s), the Engiza, the Azumaza or the Waseda Gekijô. His forte were jitsugotoshi roles in jidaimono dramas. He was quite popular in his prime and was often compared to Ichikawa Danjûrô IX (not only because of a certain physical resemblance). He unfortunately lost his fame in his latter years.

[1] Seki Hanasuke II in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten" but Seki Hanasuke V in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

xxx playing the role of xxx in the drama xxx, which was staged in xxx at the xxx (print made by Utagawa Toyokuni III)

Seki Sanjûrô V

The Seki Hanasuke line of actors

The Seki Sanjûrô line of actors